Transportation Energy Goal #2: Reduce Energy Use

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Vermont will reduce transportation energy consumption by providing a variety of mobility options that reduce the state’s total vehicle miles traveled. Carpooling, public transit, walking, and bicycling reduce the energy expended per mile traveled by people. Switching the movement of freight from trucks to rail reduces the energy expended to move goods. These initiatives increase the efficiency of transportation.

Transportation efficiency work is carried out as a core mission of VTrans and ACCD; the PSD participates in related policy discussions and program planning. Merging transportation system design with Smart Growth land use design results in improved access to mobility options within communities and across regions. In 2013, VTrans issued the report Strengthening Vermont’s Economy by Integrating Transportation and Smart Growth Policy.

A related PSD initiative is the labeling of buildings to rate how efficiently they consume energy in service to their occupants. Locational efficiency is greater for buildings in neighborhoods which are designed according to Smart Growth principles. These neighborhoods provide easy access to numerous transportation choices, including walking, bicycling, and public transit, and generally locate residences closer to workplaces, services, and retail stores. Convenient transportation options reduce the reliance on car travel, lead to lower transportation costs, and save energy. In 2014, the Building Energy Labeling Working Group will convene state agency and external stakeholders to examine how buildings could be rated in terms of locational efficiency.